SAN ANTONIO – A New York Knicks fan says he feared his father might die after the pair were allegedly attacked by a group of people outside a downtown San Antonio hotel following Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday night.
The son, who asked not to be identified because the alleged attackers have not been arrested, said he and his father had traveled to San Antonio to watch the Knicks win the NBA championship — a lifelong dream for the two fans.
Instead, the celebration ended in violence.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was going to hold my dad as he died,” the son said.
According to the victim, he and his father had just gotten out of an Uber and were walking toward Hotel Valencia on the River Walk when several people approached them.
He said the people repeatedly yelled “f--- the Knicks.”
The son said the group pushed them to the ground, punched them, and stomped on them before fleeing.
“There were other people who came and surrounded us in the meantime, trying to also get in and hit us more, but at that point, I noticed that my dad was lying in a pool of his own blood,” he said.
The victim said at least one Spurs fan attempted to intervene and defend them during the attack.
The son suffered bruises, but his father’s injuries were far more severe. According to the family, the 62-year-old man suffered a brain bleed, extensive facial bruising, a separated shoulder, and a torn shoulder ligament.
The father has since been released from the hospital but remains in significant pain as he continues recovering, the son said.
Images taken from videos circulating online suggest the father and son were not the only Knicks fans involved in altercations following the championship game. Several videos posted on social media appear to show confrontations involving fans wearing Knicks gear in downtown San Antonio.
For the son, the attack transformed what should have been a once-in-a-lifetime memory into a traumatic experience.
“One of the best days of my life immediately turned into one of the worst and scariest,” he said.
The San Antonio Police Department is investigating the assault. As of Monday, no arrests had been announced.
Police also said they are aware of several viral videos that appear to show other incidents involving basketball fans downtown, and they are reviewing those cases as well.
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